Rec Center Supporters Seek Orland Park Votes

November 04, 1996|By Diana Delogu. Special to the Tribune.

Proponents of a new recreation facility in Orland Park have been campaigning door-to-door in recent weeks to persuade residents to cast their vote in favor of a $15 million proposal on Tuesday's ballot.

"We think if they're educated, they're going to vote for it. (W)e're trying to convince people that it's great for kids and senior citizens," said Lou Valcik, a member of the village's Recreation Advisory Board. "It's more than just an athletic center. It's recreation in the widest sense of the word."

To fund the project, which may be reduced in size and cost once public input is injected into the planning, the village would issue bonds that would be paid off through property taxes, said trustee Kathleen Fenton. But taxpayers wouldn't feel the pinch because the tax increase from the recreational facility would replace taxes that will be expiring for the payment of debt associated with water utility costs, she said.

Trustee Bernard Murphy said he's not in favor of borrowing money for a new recreation facility and sees other priorities, such as street improvements. "There will be an increase in taxes," he said. "This is going to cost the village a lot of money."

Fenton said the bond financing method would allow the facility to be built to meet today's demands. "(T)his is something that this community could really use," she said. "It's designed for every age group . . . a true multipurpose facility."

Mayor Dan McLaughlin said he agrees there's a need, but he would prefer that private enterprise come forward to build and manage a multipurpose sports and recreation complex. If that doesn't happen, he'll back the village project, he said.

Though the village has hundreds of acres of park land and outdoor athletic fields, there is only one indoor public facility, the Franklin Loebe Center, which the village outgrew years ago, said Gregg Tengerstrom, chairman of the village's Recreation Advisory Board.